


The Whirling Dervish

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-20
Updated: 2011-10-20
Packaged: 2017-10-24 19:22:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/266980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He apologized with his eyes for anything that might happen tonight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Whirling Dervish

**Author's Note:**

> I always imagine Jessica Lange from Everybody's All-American when I write about Hotch's mother, with a dash of Ellen Burstyn from Ya-Ya Siterhood.

“Oh dear God.” Hotch gasped, standing from his chair and stopping Derek mid-sentence.

“What is it, Hotch?”

His question went unanswered so he stood as well. He followed Hotch to his office window and looked over the Unit Chief’s shoulder. Hotch and Derek’s eyes followed the woman as she walked across the busy bullpen. She was about 5’8” with ramrod straight posture and a gorgeous head of silver blonde hair.

Dressed impeccably in a grey designer suit that seemed cut especially for her trim shape, Derek thought the woman who was old enough to be his mother still had it. That was the beauty of women…all shapes, sizes, and ages had their own sparkle. Each one had something that made the men stop and stare. They watched her stop at the desk of SSA Emily Prentiss.

“No, no, no, no.” Hotch repeatedly murmured.

Derek just glanced at him before his eyes returned to the scene outside the window.

“Excuse me, Special Agent Emily Prentiss?”

Prentiss looked up from her paperwork and smiled.

“Yes ma'am. How can I help you?”

The older woman smiled and Prentiss immediately recognized the spark in her green eyes.

“Stand up darling; let me get a good look at you.”

“I'm sorry?” Emily raised an eyebrow.

“Stand please.” Her voice was soft but commanded attention. She spoke with a pitch perfect upper middle class Southern accent, Virginia born and bred it sounded like. “I want to see you.”

Emily stood, letting the woman look her up and down while wearing a genteel smile. Yes, she felt a bit like chattel but it only took 60 seconds for her to know whom she was speaking with. The woman had chutzpah; Emily had to hand it to her.

“Oh my goodness, you're beautiful. I mean, I knew you would be but reality has exceeded my expectations. And I have high expectations you see.”

“Yes ma'am.”

Emily put her arms behind her back, making her firearm more obvious. Still, dressed in black slacks, black leather boots, and a cranberry colored v-neck shirt, she felt as if she held up to the scrutiny.

“You could stand to gain just a bit of weight.” She said. “A few good Southern meals should set you right.”

“I always appreciate a good meal, Mrs. Preston.”

Amelia smiled, finally extending her hand.

“I guess we should be formally introduced. Amelia Preston.”

“Emily Prentiss.” She shook her hand.

“Mama?” Hotch came out of his office and walked down the stairs. As soon as he said the word all eyes were on him and he wished to disappear. “This is definitely a surprise.”

“I am sure it’s not my darling,” Amelia held out her arms and her oldest son walked into them. “That sixth sense you’ve always had has probably been tingling since yesterday…I know you.”

Hotch certainly was not going to admit that it had been. He didn’t know what would happen but was sure something would. At least now, the mystery was solved. He exhaled, holding his mother tight to him. It really had been too long. The Hotchner family had issues to spare but it felt good to hug his mother. He inhaled, letting the scent of her ever-present Chantilly Lace take him back to frolicking Virginia summers when Hotch was too young to know what lie ahead for him.

“What are you doing here?” he asked when he finally extracted himself from her embrace. She had been holding on just as tightly as he had.

“Tug and I were talking a few weeks ago about not seeing our boys as much as we should. I finally said nothing was stopping us. Sean has gone to New York; he is hiding from us. However, you, my dear heart, are right here. Why should we wait for an engraved invitation? You surely didn’t wait for one when you came popping out of me screaming bloody murder.”

“Mama…”

“Oh shush,” she gently slapped his chest. “I know how busy you are, love of my life,” she caressed his face. “I am actually here for Emily. I thought I would spend some quality time with this lovely girl before we swing back to pick you up for dinner.” Amelia reached for Emily’s hand. “Oh my God, you have the softest hands. Do you really use that gun?”

“Yes ma'am.”

“We are off to the spa for a relaxing afternoon.” She kissed her son’s cheek. “Goodbye, Aaron.”

“Mama…”

Amelia was not listening; she never listened. He just looked after the two women shaking his head. Rossi came over and stood next to him.

“What was that?” he asked.

“Well you know Emily. The whirling dervish was my mother.”

“Your mother?” Derek came to stand on the other side of Hotch.

“Amelia Devereaux Hotchner Preston. I will try to introduce her when they return.”

“I hope Emily’s safe.” Reid said from behind them.

Hotch turned to look at him.

“So do I, Reid.”

“We could follow them.” Derek suggested.

“Emily can handle it,” Dave replied. “I've met her mother.”

***

The elevator doors opened hours later and the two women were still laughing. Amelia gasped, stepping off.

“Derek Morgan.”

“Yes ma'am.” He stopped mid stride.

“I just knew it. You’re more gorgeous than Aaron could ever say.”

“I really hope Hotch wouldn’t call me gorgeous ma'am.”

Amelia laughed, a gay, gleeful sound as she took his face in her hands.

“You see, Aaron told me about all of you. You really are attractive but so much more. I know your mama must be immensely proud.”

“Yes ma'am.” Derek smiled.

“And look at that grin. You must be beating the anxious women away with a stick.”

“He is.” Emily replied.

“You will find the right one soon enough and she will thank her lucky stars she has you.”

“Thank you.”

“Alright, I will stop bothering you. Thank you for indulging an old woman. I am going to go find Aaron now.”

Derek nodded, watching her walk away. He leaned against Emily, noticing how relaxed she was. They must have had a great afternoon.

“What is she like?” he asked.

“I'm not entirely sure. It was…I was waiting all afternoon for the director to yell cut or for the Southern accent to slip and find out she was from Brooklyn. I like her.”

“She is probably in there telling him to marry you.” Derek said.

“I don’t necessarily find anything wrong with that.”

“I'm sure you don’t.”

***

“Dear God Aaron, she is utterly amazing. I adore her…she’s beautiful in every way.”

“You didn’t spend that much time with her mama. Not that I don’t agree with every word of your assessment.” He cleared his throat as his accent tumbled out. It never failed when he was around his mother.

“I am an excellent judge of character, your father notwithstanding. She has the most perfect skin…would look stunning in my wedding dress.”

“Mama…”

“What? You cannot just expect her to live in sin Aaron; she was raised right. She deserves a husband and babies.”

“Is Tug waiting for us at the hotel?” Hotch tried to change the subject.

“He is going to meet us at the restaurant. We have a reservation at B. Smith’s; we just love to eat there whenever we make it to the capital. Put that work away. You are as bad as your father when it comes to the office.”

“Having a strong work ethic is not the same as being a workaholic.” Hotch replied, a rock in the pit of his stomach thinking he could be anything like his father. “Barbecue sounds good.”

“Tug cannot get enough of it. Now I must insist Aaron, put the work down and introduce me to your team.”

Hotch nodded. He organized the folders on his desk, offered Amelia his arm, and took a deep breath before walking out to the bullpen.

***

Emily could not help but smile watching Hotch embrace his stepfather. Judge Lucius “Tug” Preston was a tall man, 6’3”, with a head full of white hair. He had blue eyes and one of the easiest smiles Emily ever saw.

“You look damn good boy,” he said with his strong Southern accent. “More like your daddy every single day.”

“Yeah.” Hotch nodded. “Tug, this is my friend Emily Prentiss.”

“Hello.”

She went to shake his hand but Tug just laughed as he hugged her and kissed her cheek. Emily hugged him back.

“You are beautiful.” He looked at Hotch. “Is every woman in the FBI this ravishing?”

“I would have to say no.” Hotch shook his head as he slipped his hand in Emily’s. “And actually, what I meant to say was Emily is my girlfriend.”

“I was well aware of that, Aaron. You don’t have to be so nervous around us…we’re family. We will probably embarrass the hell out of you but love you just the same. Let’s eat.”

Hotch stole a glance at Emily as the four of them walked into the restaurant. He apologized with his eyes for anything that might happen tonight. She squeezed his hand, mouthing that she loved him. That made him smile. She would make it through the blitz attack; she had already done so well.

“So Emily, tell me about yourself.” Tug said, sipping his iced tea.

The server had just brought drinks and took the dinner order. “I am sure my lovely wife has thoroughly interrogated you so I am sorry if this is a repeat.”

“Oh no sir,” Emily shook her head. “Mrs. Preston has been nothing but cordial.”

“Stop it with Mrs. Preston…Amelia is just fine. Yes, tell us everything about you.”

“Well…” Emily turned to Hotch, reassured in his smile. Underneath the table, she slipped her hand in his. She realized though he knew some deep, dark things about her that he didn’t know very much about her childhood. She hardly knew what to say. “I was born here in DC. My mother stayed here with my older sister until I was almost nine months old so I could receive all my shots for foreign travel.

“Then we joined my father in Amman where he worked for the American Embassy. He eventually did a year and a half as the Ambassador to Jordan. For the next ten years, we lived all over the Middle East, Alexandria, Damascus, Dubai, Riyadh, and even a year in Jerusalem. My mother traveled back and forth between wherever we were, Washington, and Eastern Europe for her work so it was an adventurous but tumultuous life.”

“It sounds that way.” Amelia said. “When did it stabilize?”

“Junior year of high school.” Emily replied with a small laugh. “My parents divorced when I was ten. My father returned to DC to work for the State Department and remarried. My sister Julia and I went to Eastern Europe with my mother for a year in Prague. Then we spent three years commuting back and forth between Moscow and Odessa in the Ukraine.

“Mother sent me back to the States for high school. I attended Hotchkiss for two years before returning to DC. I lived with my father and stepmother, finishing out high school. After graduation, I spent the summer in Hong Kong with relatives before attending Yale. Then it was Harvard, the FBI Academy, and I have been a field agent for almost 12 years.”

“The BAU was your dream job, wasn’t it?” Amelia asked.

“Oh yes. I have been profiling in one form or another since I was a little girl. When I saw there was an opening, I jumped on it as fast as I could. I was sure I wouldn’t get it…this is the cream of the crop. The list of people who wanted it was long.”

“Emily was the perfect choice for the job.” Hotch replied, squeezing her hand. “She is an asset to this team…we could not do it without her.”

“I just do what I love everyday.” She replied.

“How many languages do you speak?” Tug asked. “I would assume living all over the world you must be comfortable anywhere.”

“I am most comfortable in a pair of pajamas with a good movie on TV.” Emily said laughing. “I speak fluent Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and German. I speak conversational Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, French, Mandarin, Czech, Croatian, and Latin. Not that anyone speaks Latin anymore.”

“It’s useful in the law,” Tug replied. “As Aaron can tell you.”

“You are utterly fantastic.” Amelia said as their dinner arrived.

“I truly appreciate your words.”

The portions were huge and though it smelled wonderful, Emily would be lucky if she could eat half. Southern food was usually too rich for her system even though she liked it. She actually liked almost every food she encountered traveling the globe. As long as it wasn’t alive, or raw, Emily was willing to try anything once.

“Alright, alright, no more questions for a while.” Hotch said. “Let us focus on this lovely dinner in front of us. Why don’t you tell us what brought you to DC this weekend?”

***

“I am so glad you enjoyed dinner Emily,” Amelia said. “I was telling Tug that you should gain just a bit of weight…it would be good for you. With that body type of yours it will go exactly where a man wants it to; hips and buttocks.”

“Mama…” Hotch drank his coffee.

“What?” she smiled. “She is beautiful, just a touch too thin. Well, I guess once she gives me some grandchildren maybe some of the weight will stick to her.”

“Actually, my mother had two children but she is virtually the same size as before I was born.” Emily replied, seemingly unfazed by talk of children.

“So we can expect grandchildren?” Amelia asked with a bigger smile.

“Amelia…” Tug warned.

“Mama, that’s enough.” Hotch waved for the check.

“I'm sorry Emily. It was certainly not my intent to embarrass you.” Amelia reached for her hand across the table. Emily smiled.

“You haven’t, honestly.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes ma'am.”

Emily excused herself to the ladies room and Hotch looked at his mother and stepfather. He really did not see them enough. His mother could be over the top sometimes, a lot, but she might be less so if he ever made it home to Richmond. Hell, he could hardly find time for Jack and Emily…Hotch didn’t know how he was going to add more to his schedule. He took a deep breath; he knew what was coming.

“When are you going to make an honest woman out of that wonderful girl?”

“97 minutes,” Hotch looked at his watch. “A personal record most likely.”

“Don’t be sassy, Aaron. She would be a welcome addition to any family but I want her in mine. I would love to have a daughter-in-law who speaks 12 languages and holds degrees from two Ivy League universities. Not to mention her complete grace under pressure. She is 37 years old…her poor biological clock must be buzzing like crazy. Especially with that adorable pregnant Jennifer running around the place.”

“We um…” Hotch found himself unable to properly respond.

“I think you’ve rendered the boy speechless, Amelia.” Tug laughed, taking the check when it arrived. He ignored the look on Hotch’s face; he had seniority. “They will surely marry; they will just do it in their own time as young people do these days.”

“Something like that.” Hotch mumbled with a nod.

“All I am saying is that Emily needs to have her babies soon…I can see it in her eyes. You two will have beautiful children. With her expressive brown eyes and your Hotchner dimples; they will be a sight.”

Hotch smiled thinking about it. It was scary as well as wonderful. When Emily returned to the table, both Hotch and Tug stood.

“The bill is taken care of,” Tug said. “Shall we?”

Hotch let his parents go first, unable to stop the smile when he saw them holding hands. It had been so long since his mother had one of her “spells”, probably 15 years. Surely, she was not cured, clinical depression did not just disappear, but Tug took such good care of her. He was a busy man, being a federal judge and obsessed with fishing, but every spare moment was devoted to Amelia. It had actually been that way since the day they met, even before Hotch’s father died.

It surely did not surprise him that within nine months of his death, his mother was remarrying. Hotch would never judge…they made each other happy. He hoped for that same happiness with Emily. The two couples stood outside in the autumn breeze for a while. Finally, Amelia hugged her son.

“Oh love, I worry sometimes. I know that work keeps you so busy but you have to call more. After that explosion…I just worry. I feel a bit better knowing Emily is taking such good care of you.”

“She is, and I will call more.”

“Tell your brother to call home too. The last time I talked to him he told me had been in a car accident and he made it sound as if it were nothing.”

“He told me it was just a fender bender.” Hotch replied.

“He needs to settle down; find a good woman and have a family. You boys are going to make my hair white much too soon. And you,” she turned her attention to Emily, pulling her into a fierce hug. “We do not need these men to have a good time. Call me, we will discuss this son of mine and anything else you would like.” She caressed her face, kissing both of Emily’s cheeks.

“Yes ma'am.”

Hotch and Tug shared a hug; discussed taking Jack fishing before the weather turned too cold. He also kissed Emily’s cheek before they hailed a cab back to the Jefferson Hotel.

“If you chose to run away screaming right now I would not blame you in the least.”

“I would at least wait a week or so…we Prentiss women are known for our tact.”

“I would chase after you, woman,” He looked at her, her smile matching his. “To the end of the earth if I had to.”

“Let’s go home.”

They walked down the block and around the corner to the parking space Hotch managed to find. Street parking in DC was the equivalent of looking for the Holy Grail usually. He opened the door to his truck for her and then went around to the driver’s side.

“My place or yours?” he asked starting the engine. The voice of Michael McDonald came out of the speakers.

“I don’t have much food.” Emily replied.

”Me neither.”

“Well I guess we can just have brunch out tomorrow, and it will be brunch because I am sleeping in. Then we’ll go to the grocery store.”

“For both of us? Do you know how much time, energy, and money we would save if we lived together?” Hotch asked.

“Wow Hotch, that is so romantic. I love the idea of moving in together to combat recent economic downturn.”

“I want to live together because I love you, Emily Prentiss. Saving money is an extra-added bonus.”

“What are you saving for?” she asked.

“Honeymoons aren’t cheap.”

“Hotch…”

“Hmm?”

“Today was overwhelming. I mean that is no one’s fault really but this relationship has been so damn insular and I realized that in talking to your mother and stepfather today. People should know how we feel about each other.”

“All the right people know. You understand the rules…we can't be too open.”

“I know. I just…”

“I know.” Hotch nodded. “One of these days I will get it right.”

“You're doing just fine, I assure you.”

“And you love me?” Hotch asked, suddenly feeling needy.

“Damn right I do.” She reached for his hand. “You should know by now that I never back away from a challenge.”

“I love you too. I just want to go home, undress, wrap my body around yours, and find out everything my mother said to you.”

“She is delightful.” Emily replied laughing. “I enjoyed spending time with her today. I am glad she took it upon herself to come and meet me.”

Hotch was too. Amelia seemed taken by Emily and that made him happy. She and Haley never got along; family time was strained and uncomfortable at best. Hell, from what Hotch saw today, Emily and his mother were halfway to thick as thieves. That brought a smile to his face. Amelia was all about first impressions; her son carried the same trait. Emily had passed the test with flying colors. Now all he had to do was make an honest woman out of her.

***


End file.
